SHOULD YOUR KNEES GO PAST YOUR TOES?!? [squatting myth] (by @vinnierehab)
.
This myth started from a research study that looked at how much shear happened at the knee joint during a squat. What they found was that if your knees didn't go past your toes, there was less shear / stress at the knee joint
.
However, what they didn't do, was measure if the extra stress was DANGEROUS to the knee joint. Even if it does cause more pressure on the knee, that doesn't mean it's a bad thing if the knee can handle it
.
If you watch any Olympic level weightlifter performing their lifts, their knee go way past their toes at the bottom of their lift
.
If you were to compare Olympic weighlifting with other sports, the stats show that you're way more likely to injure your knee playing soccer or basketball, than doing deep squats during your lifts
.
The amount of forward knee travel will change based on a few factors such as stance, bone morphology and movement vocabulary (iQ)
.STANCE
If you like to squat with a
Narrow stance : need forward knee travel in order to keep torso upright -knees will go further past toes
Wider stance: don't need as much knee travel to hit depth - knees don't go as far forward
.BONE MORPHOLOGY
If you have
Longer legs: knees will have to travel further forward
Shorter legs: knees don't need to go as far to hit depth
.MOVEMENT iQ
Your base level of movement vocabulary / mobility will determine how much your body compensates during a movement such as the squat
.
For example if you have limited ankle mobility - it will actually be safer for your knee if it doesn't go past the toes, because your heel will most likely lift off the ground if you go too deep into your squat (one quick fix is a heel lift - weightlifting shoes)
.In summary, because of the immense variability in how people move and compensate, the amount of knee traveling forward during a squat is specific to YOU (based on the combinations of factors above) but it is ultimately SAFE for your knee to travel past your toes if you have the movement requirements to handle it!!
.
.
.#squat#kneepain#knees#physiotherapy